By Matthew Esnayra
The Daily News, Longview, Wash.
LONGVIEW, Wash. — A Longview man is facing new charges after police say they were tipped off by his recorded jailhouse calls and found drugs in his home.
Asa McVay Keith Kelley, 24, of Longview, has been formally charged with first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm as a criminal street gang associate or member, as well as violating the Uniform Controlled Substances Act.
He pleaded not guilty on Feb. 17 in Cowlitz County Superior Court, and his next hearing is scheduled for March 10 .
Kelley, who is known to law enforcement as a Norteños gang member, has a criminal history which includes assaults, burglaries and participating in a prison riot.
According to the arrest report, the authorities became aware of Kelley’s suspected crimes on Feb. 10 during phone calls between him and his girlfriend while he was an inmate at the Cowlitz County Jail.
Police say he spoke in code to tell his girlfriend he wanted her to retrieve a gun from his home. The details of what he wanted done with the gun are unknown.
After contacting the girlfriend and getting her consent to search the garage, officers found a Glock handgun, with a red bandana attached to it.
Kelley is a convicted felon and not allowed to possess firearms.
Drugs and gun
Drugs and a handgun allegedly retrieved from a Longview man’s home on Tuesday, Feb. 10.
The police also report finding 6.25 pounds of marijuana in his room, along with suspected hash.
They also found articles of red colored clothing, including the bandana, hats and a sweatshirt. The color is associated with the gang.
Kelley also has the number 14 on his face, which is a number associated with the Norteños.
Kelley was present when William Raymond Canales, 28, of Longview opened fire at a group of people outside the Ocean Beach Highway Dairy Queen, near Fred Meyer on Sept. 5, 2025 , a previous police report says.
He was also involved in a 2023 altercation outside a Lexington residence connected to Ruperto Aguayo , 45, who was convicted in the death of Longview’s Grant Hadler.
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